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Quotation from Essays by Michel de Montaigne
“If a man should importune me to give a reason why I loved him, I find it could no otherwise be expressed, than by making answer: because it was he, because it was I”
Essays, Book I, Ch. XXVII, 'Of Friendship', trans. Charles Cotton (1685-1686)
Montaigne's tribute to La Boétie, insisting that perfect friendship has no reason outside the two persons.
Citation: "If a man should importune me to give a reason why I loved him, I find it could no otherwise be expressed, than by making answer: because it was he, because it was I" — Michel de Montaigne, Essays, Book I, Ch. XXVII, 'Of Friendship', trans. Charles Cotton (1685-1686). (id essays-montaigne-q5)
Virtues: Friendship
Portrait: Portrait of Michel de Montaigne by unknown painter in the Musée Condé, anonymous, Public domain.
